Despite society’s best efforts to accept a wider range of female body types, super skinny is back, and it feels like it’s here to stay. The unhealthy beauty standards that every girl seems to be stressing herself over recently have been creeping back into our pop culture. Celebrities, movies, singers, and literally every corner of the internet, seems to be flooded with shrinking figures. In an era where we have access to literally everything at our fingertips, it can become hard to decipher between healthy and unrealistic. It’s so easy to become submerged in the content we consume. From diet videos and what seems like every celebrity taking part in the ozempademic, it’s hard to escape the wrath of the super skinny. But don’t be too deterred, as feminists are fighting back this time, and we’re going to fight back hard. For decades the ideal body type has come in and out of fashion more times than one can count. Growing up, especially as a girl, conversations around our bodies and what we eat have always been present; something unavoidable. However, as of late, it’s not just the media we consume that’s obsessed with diet culture, it’s been leaking into our social circles. Suddenly, A-star celebrities aren’t the only ones swapping cupcakes for calorie counting. Just a decade ago, it was BBLs and curviness, now its heroin chic and emaciated celebrities?
Which leaves so many of us wondering: what happened to the body positivity movement? The impact of this culture shift can be felt by so many. A sweet treat after dinner, a massive bucket of popcorn at the cinema, no longer become guilt free when you have diet culture being shoved down your throat. Women’s eating habits have always been so much more than just looks, instead being a ploy to control women’s bodies. Diet culture is embedded in misogyny, it becomes another expectation, another thing to stress about, and nit-pick – another presumption placed upon us, a goal to aim to. Which is unbelievably ironic when food is so much more than just something we consume. It’s memories of sharing meals with loved ones, passing recipes down generations, meeting friends for coffee. Food is so integrated into our culture that when you start stripping us of the things that enrich our lives it becomes another way to control us. Thankfully there is a growing resistance against this, with so many women spreading love and body positivity. The return of ultra-thin beauty standards can be all-consuming with the desire to be skinny resurging, however, I urge everyone to rebel against these new, unrealistic beauty standards.
There are many positive creators on our screens like Leah Watki and Spencer Barbosa that promote healthiness instead of restriction. Sometimes we just need a little reminder from the people around us of the joy that food can bring. Baking with my dad, a long lasting tradition in my household, reminds me of the laughter and happiness that baking has brought me and my family; some of the most important memories of my childhood. Perhaps the real rebellion of 2026 is bringing joy back into our lives. Whether that’s having the large popcorn at the cinema, the sweet treat with your flat mates, or baking a massive cake with your family. The whimsy of food should not be lost to this skinny epidemic. In fact, realising that our worth has never been determined by the numbers on the scale is the biggest resistance of all.
